The Bourne Duplicity
by ActingLovingAardvark
Summary: Set after The Bourne Legacy... Aaron and Marta have managed to fly under the CIA's radar for several years. When a young girl comes in, offering to help them reach a permanent safehouse, will it cause a rift in the strong relationship the two have worked to build?
1. Prologue: The Beginning

**Author's Note: I do not own The Bourne series. The characters are not of my creation, and all rights go to the respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Yes, yes, I'm at it again. Thanks to a friend of mine I've recently been dousing myself in Aaron and Marta feels. This idea for a story has been sitting in my head for a while – which is one of the factors of my major writer's block in regards to **_**The Bourne Recreancy**_**. So, before you come after me with torches and pitchforks threatening to burn me because of the lack of updates, I hope you might take a look at this little story of mine. It's being brought to you by my imagination, Tumblr, and writing playlists on 8tracks ;) Enjoy!**

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_Prologue: The Beginning_

A day and a half. That was all the time Aaron and Marta had on that little fishing boat that thankfully took them away from the CIA chaos in Manila – at least, for the moment. The past couple of days for them had been filled with death, firefight, sickness, a motorcycle chase, and enough trauma to last the both of them a century. But that was the life Aaron lived, and now Marta as well.

He was an agent gone rogue. She was a scientist. They were both supposed to be dead. Yet here they were. Together, battered but alive, on a fishing boat that was once again returning to the very city where they had been chased down. It was luck – luck, Aaron's skills, and Marta's shining moment of strength of eliminating LARX 3 – that saved them in the end. Since the two had escaped to sea, and Aaron no longer had the tracking device within his leg, they had managed to lose the police – _and_ the CIA - that had been after them. But the whole situation was still fresh. Aaron knew that Byer wouldn't let him and Marta just _get away_ – they were too valuable.

Which left him to worry. Would officials still be in Manila? Would the CIA still have eyes there? And would the people here, and the police, still recognize them? Aaron pleaded with the driver of the boat, the one who had given them asylum thanks to a gold watch, to see if there were any other places they could go before them came back to Manila. But the man told him that he must go back to Manila, that it was part of his routine fishing schedule, and he could not help him in that regard.

This left Aaron and Marta in a dicey situation.

So Aaron began to plan. He checked his weapons, making sure they were still functioning. He packed the backpack, really the only thing he owned now other than his jacket, making sure that he used what he could scrounge up. He got some fruits and little water bottles from the fisherman's son. He studied maps of Manila and the surrounding areas.

All while Marta watched on.

She wanted to assist him with something, anything, but he worked on meticulously by himself. She hated feeling helpless – they were a team now, she couldn't deny it. He saved her life, and she saved his. Yes, the little old scientist saving the strong black ops agent. It seemed far-fetched to her, but here they were. Alive, despite the odds.

Except now, it felt like the odds were against her. Marta couldn't lie to herself and say she wasn't nervous about what fate faced them in Manila. Had the CIA known the two had escaped by water? Would there be people ready to kill them the second they stepped foot on land? She couldn't help but be burdened by terrible thoughts and worst case scenarios, buzzing around her mind like a swarm of angry bees.

But she trusted Aaron. He had gotten them this far, and he was strong. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

Early that morning, Aaron had briefly paused from his mindless preparing, and really _looked_ at Marta. She was a warrior, so tough and resilient, but he could still see the flash of dread in her eyes. He hated seeing her in pain, this face that she had worn through so much of their journey together. Aaron wanted to picture her with that smile she gave him that morning before.

_Are we lost?_

_Just checking our options._

_I was kind of hoping we were lost._

If only it would have been that easy.

He stopped what he was doing and went up to her, grabbing both of her hands in his. The action felt almost natural now, but despite that he still didn't know where the two of them stood… in _that_ way. He had feelings for her, there was no denying that. But in a situation like this, how do you profess those? He was never good with words, with expressing the many emotions that he felt. Yet when he saw Marta, he felt like he didn't need to say _anything_. She was this beautiful person, smart and complex and captivating. There was so much about her that he didn't know, and she was a true mystery to him. A mystery that he wanted to solve.

But did Marta feel the same way?

"We're going to get out of this mess, I promise you," he told her.

She kept her eyes down on their intertwined hands.

He tried to make her laugh. "We've done things like this before. I suppose this shouldn't be _too_ complicated…"

The corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile that was reminiscent of one she once gave him, in a small hotel room where they truly began their journey.

Her gaze met his, and she held it, not realizing that she was holding in breath, too. Marta moved her right hand, hesitantly grazing it over his arm. In return he took her other hand and raised it to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles.

"We'll be alright," he reassured her.

She nodded, looking down again. Warmth spread through her, and she desperately hoped she wasn't blushing. Aaron released her hands, slowly moving back to his planning.

Marta hadn't felt like this in a long time… Not since when she first met Peter-

She pushed those thoughts away. It wasn't the time for that.

Yet she couldn't deny that there were feelings for Aaron, even though she wished she could pull them back and lock them away. This was life or death.

And she couldn't get hurt again.

-oOo-

Noon. That was when they arrived back to those familiar ports of Manila. Marta was anxious, and she could see that Aaron was tense, too. The two of them had no idea what to expect when they got off the boat. That was something she had hated – the unknown. Except now, that was pretty much her new normal.

She adjusted the pale blue baseball cap she was wearing on her head, making sure no lone strands of hair stuck out from underneath. The hat was part of her camouflage, something that Aaron "borrowed" from the owner of the boat – _borrowed_ was a term she used loosely, because she had a feeling he wouldn't be getting it back.

She still wore Aaron's grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Aaron had on his khaki shorts with a plain white t-shirt he had, once again, borrowed from the man. They had neutral colors, in hopes to blend in…. except when they made their way into the city with the locals that lived her, they wouldn't blend in for long. But they had to try something.

Aaron and Marta thanked the owner of the boat for his hospitality – because, without him, she didn't really know where they'd be. He gave them a smile and wished them well, blissfully unaware of what the two could soon face. Marta noticed that as he exchanged talk with Aaron, in fluid Tagalog she might add, that his eyes occasionally flitted down to the golden watch still fastened upon his wrist.

_Thank god Aaron snagged that_, she thought to herself.

Aaron grabbed her hand and the two of them walked off. Her heart was pounding, but Aaron gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He helped her clear her head, to focus.

The two of them quickly got out of the open marina area, scanning for any signs of suspicion… but to their surprise, there was nothing. No red flags went up for Aaron, no alarms went off in his head. Things seemed calm. Of course, this worried him even further.

They made their way back into the city. Hundreds of people were bustling around, going about their daily business. Again, everything seemed normal. So Aaron and Marta ducked into the flow of people. Hopefully, to anyone there, they would look like tourists. And that's what Aaron want to go on.

"Head over to that fruit stand and look at things," Aaron whispered in her ear. "I'm going to scan the area. If you think someone is following you, you head to one of these alleys and hide. I'll come and get you."

She hesitated. This reminded her of the day in Manila, where he gave her his backpack and told her to walk, _don't look back_. But she feared being alone. Just because Aaron thought she was a warrior didn't mean she wanted to be on her own.

Once more, he gave her hand that gentle, reassuring squeeze, before disappearing.

It looked like she didn't have a choice in the matter.

So she strolled over to the stand as nonchalantly as she could muster. A middle-aged woman stood there, assisting an elderly woman in bagging a pineapple. When she met Marta's eyes, she gave her a bright smile, and Marta couldn't help but smile back.

Marta picked up a mango and inspected it, acting like she had even a remote interest in buying it. All she wanted right now was for Aaron to be safe and come back to her. She glanced up and made herself seem like she was looking at the other stands on the street, when really she was scanning the crowds. But out of the corner of her eye she saw something she didn't like: a man, who seemed to be looking right in her direction… and he sure as hell _wasn't_ a local.

She took a deep breath, putting down the mango and giving the woman another sweet smile before heading down the street in the opposite direction of the man. Marta meandered through the people, hoping that the sheer number of them could mask her well enough so she could get away. She passed the first alley on her left, and when she came across a second one, she cut through the crowds.

Marta hoped that Aaron could see that she ended up here… but then she thought, _if he was able to find my home after the shoot-out and rescue me from those agents, then he can find me in an alley, dammit. _

She ducked in, looking behind her. When she saw that no one was there, she sprinted down the alley, crouching behind a large garbage bin. All she heard was the distant chatter of people, but no footsteps approaching her. Maybe she was being paranoid.

_Great, genius, imagine how it'll look that you're hiding behind a dumpster for nothing._

Suddenly, Marta heard someone walking down the alley. She immediately panicked. Where was Aaron? Unless… he was so quiet that his footsteps didn't make a sound-

An audible grunt rang out, and Marta heard the sound of punches being thrown, the sound of fists colliding with skin. It lasted only a few seconds, if that, before there was the _thunk_ of a body falling to the ground.

"Hey doc, you there?" Aaron called out quietly, using his funny nickname for her. She stood up from behind the garbage bin to see him standing beside a body – the one of the man she saw looking at her on the street. She let out a breath of relief that her gut feeling had ended up saving her, at least for the time being.

"Nice call. He was following you," Aaron told her. "I have a feeling he's not alone. We have to get out of here."

So Marta followed behind him once more, exiting the alley and merging back with the flow of people. They moved quickly, but not too quick as to draw attention to themselves. Off in the distance, the pair heard the potent whir of sirens.

"That can't be good," Marta muttered through clenched teeth. She grabbed onto Aaron's hand as he began to jog, at times almost pushing through the people. Subtleness was dead at this point.

Then they heard the shouts in Tagalog. Marta didn't know exactly what they were saying, but she had an idea. Aaron, on the other hand, heard _stops_ and _halts_ among the language. It was a repeat of just days ago, except this time he had reason to believe that the agent they encountered had friends. Which meant this could be a hell of a lot worse.

He led them onto back streets with far less people in the hopes that they could get away faster. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well.

Aaron heard the first bullet whizz past them, hitting a metal trash can that was mere feet from them. There were shooters in the buildings that line this road.

"_Shit!_" Aaron yelled, and soon the two were running down the street as fast as they could go. He had them weave, trying to make sure they had the best chance of avoiding the fire. Marta let out a strangled yelp as more bullets whooshed past them. Aaron could hear them hit objects around them, and he heard the screams of people witnessing this mess unfold. He just hoped that no innocent civilians got shot.

Aaron and Marta kept going until they reached the end of the street, and then made a quick right turn.

"We have to keep running!" he told her. "We have to keep going and hide somewhere until it's safe to go out again."

Yet he wondered if that opportunity would come.

They kept going down the street, and lucky for them they didn't hear more gunshots ring out. It led Aaron to believe that the gunmen were only stationed on the last street with the plan to kill them right there.

They needed to keep running, to keep moving, but he noticed that Marta was slowing down. He mentally cursed himself, realizing that he could run for longer periods of time because of his enhancements and this could be really hard on her. But when he looked to her face and saw the pain on it, he thought that there could be something else wrong… looking at the wound on her right arm confirmed his fears.

"A think a bullet brushed me," Marta said as the blood leaked down her arm.

"Jesus," he muttered, pulling her into _another_ alleyway. This tiny street was full of them, and he felt it was a strange but welcome convenience.

"I'll be fine, we just have to keep going," she told him.

Aaron didn't like the looks of this. She was being strong, and he admired her for that so much. But she didn't have the pain suppression and healing that he had. One look at her face and he could see the color slowly draining from it. If they weren't careful she could pass out from blood loss, and that wouldn't be good for either of them.

"No, we need to go somewhere safe where we can patch this up," he said.

"Aaron," she murmured, but her voice was growing fainter.

This reminded him so much of when the LARX agent had shot him on the bike and he was close to losing consciousness. Did he look the same as she did now, when she told him to pull over and he refused? He was stubborn then, but he was going to be stubborn now… for her.

He pulled her along farther into the alley, and he felt lucky that he chose this one. It wasn't exactly an alley, but rather a walkway to small little homes lined along the way. Most of the, looked to be in poor shape, but abandoned, and right now that was what they needed. They entered one of the buildings that had many floors and they began to climb the stairs, but once they got halfway Marta became weaker. Aaron supported her weight and almost carried her up the rest of the way.

He knew he had some of the makeshift bandages she used on his wounds left in his backpack that he could use to patch her up. Aaron had to keep the wound clean. He knew that she would be alright, with some food and water in her system, and thank _god_ he had packed accordingly.

This was another hurdle that they had to face, and they would face it together. Yet Aaron couldn't help think about how many hurdles they had left.

So he would hide them here, until they could safely escape and make their way out of the city. They would lay low, stay out of the public and keep to themselves. Get out of the track of the CIA. The two of them wouldn't let anyone interfere with that.

Well, at least for almost eight years, anyway.

**THE BOURNE DUPLICITY**

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**Alright, so what did you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**Explanation for the time jump: **_**The Bourne Ultimatum**_** takes places circa 2005-2006, and events of **_**The Bourne Legacy**_** tie in with this film. Theoretically, that's when the film takes place, even though it has a *few* more modern elements. So, for plot purposes, I'm moving it forward several years :)**


	2. Chapter 1: The Encounter

**Author's Note: I do not own The Bourne series. The characters are not of my creation, and all rights go to the respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Thank you to Guest and icewitch73 for reviewing, along with everyone who has followed and favorited this story so far. It's nice to see that you all seem to be enjoying it so far :)**

**I did my location research online, so I hope all my information is accurate, but it may not be. I apologize if I am inaccurate in anyway. If anyone sees any noticeable errors on my part, let me know! Thanks :D**

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_Chapter 1: The Encounter_

Eight years.

It had been eight years since the CIA decided to end Outcome. Eight years since Aaron and Marta had received their death sentence.

Yet they had cheated death. Marta's bullet wound had healed, and they had managed to get out of Manila. So they want far off, to remote places. They tended not to stay in any place for more than a day or two... Until they found that _no one_ seemed to be following them. It made Aaron uncomfortable and weary, because it was so against the normal... As normal as his life could be.

But they tried to find some normalcy. Aaron and Marta took in the sights of the places they stopped, and relished in the culture of different countries. In way it was almost a dream for Marta. She had always fantasized of traveling the world. Of course, she couldn't avoid the harsh reality that they couldn't get too careful, that they could be ambushed at any second. Yet with the beauty of all these places, and the fact that years had gone by without any incident, she could allow herself to forget from time to time.

Beijing, Sydney, Moscow, Rome. They went all over, hitting cities both big and small. Marta immersed herself in every single place. Since Aaron was pretty much fluent in every language, he taught her bits and pieces of the language from the locations they went. Marta loved learning, absorbing information. After all, she _was_ a scientist, and a desire to gain knowledge ran through her veins the same as blood.

Aaron still had the money within his jacket, but in eight years him large stash managed to diminish. So he did various odd jobs everywhere. His great strength from his enhancements was well rewarded. He was admired by the people who hired him _and_ the ones who worked beside him.

So the two managed to keep stable. They formed a strong trust... But that developed into so much more. Things between them were slow at first. After all, Aaron and Marta were broken. They had done things, seen things, experienced things that forever changed them. The two were guarded, both with their own reasons. But with that trust they bared their souls to each other. Aaron, as hard as it was for him, shared his feelings with Marta. She, on the other hand, tore down the walls that kept her past locked away. They learned everything about each other. Marta found what made Aaron tick _besides_ the elements in his cells and chromosomes. Aaron discovered about Marta's family life, her relationships, education, everything that made her _her_.

Things became physical between them. Aaron relished in the feeling of her lips against his, her fingers on his skin. Marta loved that in his arms, with his touch, she felt safe. They were each others rock. Marta was Aaron's world, and he was hers. Having each other was the normalcy in a not so normal world.

Aaron and Marta had recently settled within Zhongshan City in China, which was located in the province of Guangdong. It was a relatively large city with over a million people, and had enough activity for them to blend in easily. Aaron and Marta had been there had been there for a little over a week, staying in a flat that was small and served its purpose. There was a bathroom with a mirror, sink, toilet, and a shower that never seemed to have any warm water. A large window overlooked the street, which both Aaron and Marta liked because they could keep an eye on things below. The room had a bed just big enough for the two of them, but they didn't mind. It gave Aaron the opportunity to get close to Marta every night and wrap his arms around her.

They loved Zhongshan. Around the city there were many spots that attracted tourists so Aaron and Marta didn't always stand out. The primary language there was Cantonese, so it gave Marta another learning opportunity. Most of all, they just _liked_ being there. They couldn't deny that they enjoyed themselves, despite the circumstances.

One of Aaron and Marta's favorite places in the city was Sunwen Road West, a pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants. Many of the buildings were restored from colonial period and were in a port style. The two of them loved the character it had and all the stores that were there.

It was morning. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds and the air was humid. People were milling about, but not as many as Aaron and Marta saw on the sunnier days. The two donned sunglasses and basic t-shirts, wearing shorts and comfortable shoes. Hawkers made their way around with their carts, trying to sell their wares to a passerby or two. The air was filled with the noise of chatting people, the occasional motor bikers, and music drifting from stores when the doors opened.

Aaron and Marta walked hand in hand down the street. Holding each others hand was another point of normalcy for the two. It meant safety, it meant trust, and for them it was a way of expressing their love without having to say a word.

They didn't interact with people if they could avoid it, and they made a little bit of a game out of it. Every day they came up with new names and back stories for themselves, almost like they were acting out stories. It was friendly competition between them to see who could be the most creative.

"So what are our names going to be today, dear?" Aaron murmured, smirking at Marta. "It's your turn."

"Hmm," she sighed, looking up into the overcast sky. "How about Luke and Laura?"

Aaron snorted. "Luke and Laura? You're kidding, right? Wasn't that from that stupid soap opera with the hospital?"

Marta playfully swatted his arm. "That was the _joke_, jerk. And wow, you got the reference? I think there's some explaining to be done there."

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a chuckle. "Got any more ideas?"

Marta clicked her tongue. "Liz and Dave? They sound pretty good together."

"Sure, and next time we'll be Dick and Jane."

That earned a pretty decent punch to the arm from Marta.

"Okay, okay," Aaron muttered with a laugh. "Liz and Dave it is. And we're newlyweds."

Marta groaned. "Newlyweds _again_? Can't you think of anything more creative?"

"What? It's not like we look enough alike to pass as siblings or anything," Aaron stated. "And besides…"

Aaron leaned in close to her and began planting kisses along her neck.

"Don't you think we seem like the perfect couple?" he whispered in her ear.

Marta planted a quick kiss to his temple, almost breathless. "Fine. Newlyweds."

"And what else?" Aaron inquired.

Marta looked up again, showing she was thinking. "I'm an ex-lawyer. And you're an artist."

Aaron raised an eyebrow.

"I was… serious, until I met you. I came from a family of five that lived in a well to do suburb. And you… your parents were the creative type that loved to travel, so you never stayed in one place for too long."

He couldn't help but chuckle, seeing as the never staying in one place bit was similar to him now.

"We fell in love, despite my parents' wishes," Marta continued. "At times, I tried to keep you grounded, but your carefree nature got the best of me. So I quit my job and ran off with you to travel and visit your favorite places… and we've been on the run ever since."

Aaron smiled. "I like it."

"Good, I'm glad I gained your approval," she said in a joking manner.

"Liz and Dave" made their way down the street, ducking in and out of shops. They looked at everything and took nothing with them. It became afternoon when they were finally done their browsing, so Aaron stopped at a street vendor's cart and picked them up a quick meal to munch on. After that they decided to head back into the main town, so they got a taxi and went on their way.

The weather never did clear up, but that didn't stop anyone from maintaining their daily city routines. Aaron and Marta melded to the flow of the usual hustle and bustle. Everything was relatively calm, as calm as a city could be, and it was just like the past days the two had been here. Their taxi was taking them back to their flat. Traffic was slightly congested, which was the usual.

Aaron and Marta sat relaxing in the back seat, his arm around her shoulders. They looked like another pair of tourists enjoying the city. Yet their calm was shattered when police sirens started to wail behind them. The two watched as the police vehicles managed to meander through the traffic and drive off… towards the direction of Aaron and Marta's flat.

Marta looked to Aaron, her mind instantly going to the worst case scenario. Had the CIA found their location? Were they heading to capture them?

Aaron's hand tightened on her shoulder.

"Probably just a coincidence," he whispered, hoping only she would hear.

Marta's suspicions were confirmed when, as their taxi got closer to their building, the cars were sitting outside the buildings. Officers were standing around, two of them talking to the young man that owned the establishment.

_Shit_, Marta thought. This reminded her of that day in Manila when she went to get medicine for Aaron and came back to see the building surrounded. Except now he was with her, and thank god for that. She needed to have some bright spot in a situation that was about to go downhill fast.

"Do you have everything you need in your backpack?" she asked him.

He nodded. Old habits rang true with Aaron, and all of these eight years he carried that black backpack with him. Inside he had his handgun, along with spare ammo that he had acquired, money, all their fake identification information, and spare articles of clothing for him and Marta.

Aaron leaned forward to the driver. "You can let us out here," he said to him in fluid Cantonese. He hand him a wad of bills, Marta opened the door of the taxi, and they climbed out onto the sidewalk. Once they had gotten out, Aaron and Marta headed in the opposite direction of the police and chaos.

"Damn, I was really starting to like it here," Marta sighed.

Aaron couldn't agree more with her, but instead he said, "If we can get out of here without being spotted, we can buy ourselves some time. Get to the edge of the city and leave from there."

Unfortunately he spoke too soon. They heard a shout behind them, and Aaron knew they were being followed. People's gazes fell on them as they rushed through the crowds. The police were blowing whistles, moving civilians out of the way to get to them. Aaron quickly scanned the area to try to find an easy escape route, and he found refuge next to a little restaurant. He and Marta took the opportunity and cunningly ducked onto the skinny street.

"Where does this even go?" Marta asked him.

"Keep running. I'll go around and meet you another way," he told her.

"Yeah, you and your habit of doing that," she muttered.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze – _I love you_ – before running off.

"God, Aaron," she hissed as she turned around and briskly walked down the street. It led to a number of houses and was the entryway to many alleys that led to even more houses and apartment-type areas hidden behind the buildings.

Marta hadn't gotten far until she heard the running and whistles of the police. Cursing under her breath, she ran into the first alley on her right. The passage was narrow and many of the people that lived there gave her odd looks as she passed. Hell, she would have done the same thing if she was in their place.

She ran through twists and turns, and realized that she basically had gotten herself into a maze. Marta remembered how she was corned by the police in that very skinny alley back in Manila, and she was really hoping not to have a repeat. They had come behind her and in front of her from the street, but at this point she saw no exit out of the winding maze.

Soon there were no people or living quarters, and she was merely running past brick walls. Marta saw a large dumpster to her left, and she quickly dashed over and hid behind it.

This seemed to be a habit of hers.

She was hoping that the police would be running so fast that they'd blow right past her. But even if they didn't, Aaron had taught Marta self-defense over those eight years. She'd have the element of surprise on her side, and she'd be able to take them down quick enough that they wouldn't be able to use their weapons on her. But if there were too many of them or they were too fast… she might be in trouble.

Marta heard their footsteps and walkies buzzing, but then there was a loud bang on the top of the dumpster that sounded like someone had jumped from above. Was it Aaron? That didn't seem to make sense to her. She knew he was fast, but even he wouldn't be able to find her that quick. Marta looked up to see small, boot-clad feet jump down from the lid of the dumpster. Definitely not Aaron.

But who was it?

Marta heard the sounds of fighting and bodies hitting the concrete. Then, in a blink it seemed, it was silent. What had happened to the person in the boots? It was so quiet that she was almost afraid to breathe. Marta didn't dare look around the side of the dumpster.

"Marta?" a female voice called out, and it was definitely _not_ one she recognized. Her heart began to pound as she heard the lighter footsteps walk towards where she hid.

A teenage girl came into view, and she looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. She had sandy blonde hair similar to Aaron's and light eyes. A million questions rushed into her head. Who was this girl, what did she want, and how did she take down those policemen? And _why_ did she know Marta's name?

The girl stuck out her hand towards Marta.

"You might want to come with me," she muttered.

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**Aaaand enter new character. What did you all think? Leave me a review and let me know!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Girl

**Author's Note: I do not own The Bourne series. The characters are not of my creation, and all rights go to the respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Thanks to my awesome reviewers, icewitch73, Guest, and GrangersTwin2595, along with my new story followers. You guys inspire me to keep writing!**

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_Previously:_

_ "Marta?" a female voice called out, and it was definitely not one she recognized. Her heart began to pound as she heard the lighter footsteps walk towards where she hid._

_A teenage girl came into view, and she looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. She had sandy blonde hair similar to Aaron's and light eyes. A million questions rushed into her head. Who was this girl, what did she want, and how did she take down those policemen? And why did she know Marta's name?_

_The girl stuck out her hand towards Marta._

"_You might want to come with me," she muttered._

_Chapter 2: The Girl_

Marta didn't move, keeping her gaze level with the girl's.

"Marta?" the girl asked again, waving her hand in front of Marta's face.

"I heard you," she snapped, and the girl slowly drew back her hand.

"We need to get out of here because I have a _pretty_ good feeling that those cops won't be the only ones," she said.

"And why should I go with you?" Marta demanded. The teenager huffed, balling her fists at her sides.

"_Look_," she muttered. "I'm here to help you, okay? I don't have much time to explain. Do you want the police to take you into custody and turn you over to the CIA or do you want to get back to Aaron?"

_How the hell does this girl know who Aaron is?_ Marta wondered, becoming increasingly anxious. She didn't trust her at all, and yet her she was telling her to run with her? Marta didn't want to follow her anywhere.

What would Aaron do?

The girl held her hand out once more. Instead, Marta braced her hand on the dumpster and pulled herself up. She could see the girl eyeing her up, observing her every move. Marta braced herself, expecting the girl to lunge at her. But she did nothing.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked Marta, crossing her arms over her chest.

Suddenly, Marta heard yelling off in the distance. The girl was right – more policemen were after her.

"Looks like I don't have a choice," Marta said as she began to run, the girl following behind her. They took off, bolting through the winding alley.

"Wait!" the teenager cried, stopping in her tracks.

"What are you _doing_?" Marta demanded. If they didn't keep going, the police could catch up with them.

"You keep going. I can take 'em," she told her.

Marta stared at her in disbelief, but she knew better than to stick around. So she continued running, traveling a good distance… until the yelling of the policeman just _stopped_. It became quiet, and Marta had no idea what was going on. The girl came to her mind and she thought to herself… _could she really have handled them_?

Marta couldn't stay out in the open, but as she looked around her there was nothing but brick wall. Déjà vu flooded through her and she was reminded of when she was cornered in that Manila alley all those years ago. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. If she kept going, where would this path lead her? And as much as it seemed wrong to her, she worried about the girl. Marta couldn't trust her, but the girl was young, and Marta couldn't help but be concerned about her safety. It seemed the natural thing to do.

Yet Marta's fretting came to an end when, almost out of nowhere, the girl came dashing up to her.

"They won't be a problem anymore," she said. "Let's keep moving. If we go now we can probably lose any more men that come after us."

Marta was shocked that this girl didn't have a scratch on her.

"How many of them were there?" Marta questioned.

"Like three or four? I wasn't really keeping a head count," the teenager muttered.

"And you took them all down?" Marta inquired, almost skeptical. This girl wasn't very big, shorter than herself, and she didn't exactly have the physique that shouted _strong_. "How? How did you do that?"

"Marta, we don't have time to-"

"No, enough with being cryptic," Marta spat. "I don't know who you are, but you're going to explain to me what the hell you're doing here and how you know even the slightest _detail_ of my life. I'm not playing games here."

The girl crossed her arms, surprised at Marta's tenacity.

"Wow," she breathed. "Didn't know you had it in 'ya."

"Look-" Marta began, but before she could say anything she heard someone running up to them. The two turned to see Aaron. Marta breathed a sigh of relief as he looked relatively unharmed, except as he got closer… he looked _infuriated_.

Marta watched him as he went straight up to the girl, grabbing both of her arms and holding her there.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

Marta noticed that the girl's eyes were squeezed shut and all her muscles were tensed.

"Let go of me," she muttered.

"I'm not screwing around," Aaron said. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"If you get off of me I'll tell you," she told him, eyes still clenched shut.

"Aaron," Marta murmured, and he looked at her. "We need the information. Just let her go."

Reluctantly, he loosened his grip on the girl's arms and she huffed, muttering something under her breath. She rubbed both of her arms, and Marta wouldn't be surprised if he was holding her pretty tightly.

The girl let out an almost sarcastic laugh. "I helped Marta get out of that situation back there, and this is how you thank me, Aaron?"

Aaron took a step towards her, and instinctively she backed away. Yet the girl noticed that as Aaron stepped forward, he moved at more of an angle so that he was in front of Marta.

Marta noticed this, too. She could see the girl's eyes, how they darted back and forth between her and Aaron. The girl was observant, analyzing Aaron's protective nature and trying to gauge their relationship. Because of the way Aaron was partially guarding her, Marta had a feeling the girl could easily see how the two felt about each other.

Aaron's training led him to have the same thoughts as Marta. So he slowly relaxed but still kept his eyes on the girl as she remained tense.

"Explain yourself," Aaron said to her.

She looked at Marta one last time before meeting Aaron's gaze.

"My name is Darcy," she said simply.

"Darcy? Alright," he muttered. "Darcy _what_?"

"Doesn't matter," she replied.

Aaron chuckled. "Doesn't matter? Oh, well that's where you're wrong. Let's face it: I don't trust you. Darcy, you seem bright enough to realize that not giving me the information I need isn't helping you at all, you know what I mean?"

Darcy knew exactly what he meant. "You're crazy," she said.

Marta watched as the Aaron she knew slipped away and the cold, calculating agent came out to play.

"I'm not crazy, I'm being realistic," he told Darcy. "Now, I've got another question for you that I'd _really_ like answered. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you!" she exclaimed. "The CIA is after you and has picked up your trail, if you haven't already noticed. And Marta was about to be ganged up on by those police back there. I helped her get away-"

"But how did you know we were here, and that the police were after us?" Aaron questioned. "You seem to be up to date with information."

"I know more about you than you think," she muttered.

Aaron was suddenly in her face, but this time Darcy did not back away.

"This isn't a damn game," he spat. "Who the hell sent you?"

She did not answer.

Instinctively Aaron's hand reached for his gun, and this made Darcy leap back.

"Aaron, what are you doing, she's just a kid!" Marta said, her thoughts immediately jumping back to the girl's safety again, despite everything.

Aaron froze, Marta's words ringing in his ears. What was he doing? He didn't trust the girl, not at all, but... But what? The agent in him had suddenly reared its ugly head, and his training seemed to be coming back naturally. Yet he didn't want that. He didn't want to kill young people.

_We got screwed on the Intel. Nobody knew those people would be in there._

Aaron clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Who sent you?" he asked, more calmly this time.

The girl seemed to hesitate before she answered.

"Jason Bourne," she said. "Jason Bourne sent me."

"Bullshit," Aaron whispered.

"But it's true!" Darcy shrieked.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," Marta said, stepping forward. Even _she_ had heard of Jason Bourne. Whispers from Hillcott that she had just so happened to catch, about a former participant of a first generation program. He had no medication and was still mobile, strong, and smart. Of course, now that Marta knew more details of the universe she was tangled in, she found out he was an agent that was on the run and he had gone undetected. Her scientist nature was curious about how his chromosomes and bodily make-up worked, but she buried those thoughts down.

"Jason's flown under the radar for years, and now you're trying to tell us that he's getting involved in matters that could blow everything he's worked for?" Aaron questioned.

"He wants to help you," Darcy told them.

"Aaron's right, it doesn't make any sense," Marta muttered.

"Listen, he knows your situation. He's been in the same freaking boat, and now he's just trying to get you out of it," Darcy explained. "How is that so hard to believe?"

"In this world, you look out for yourself," Aaron muttered.

Darcy raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't really explain why Marta's here then."

Marta crossed her arms and scoffed as Aaron said, "She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"I didn't say she wasn't," Darcy said. "I'm just wondering would she be if it weren't for you?"

"Now listen-" Aaron growled, but Marta put her hand on his arm. He met her gaze, which silently urged him to drop it. Aaron relaxed, looking back at the girl.

"Why does Jason want to help us, then? What's in it for him?" he questioned.

"I don't really know all of his motives, Aaron-"

"Oh great, thanks, that's helpful," he sneered sarcastically. "So, what? You expect me to believe he's risking his ass to help us out of the goodness of his heart?"

Marta spoke up. "What's in it for you is what I want to know."

Darcy's gazed darted to her.

"Exactly. How old are you?" Aaron asked Darcy.

"Sixteen," she told him.

Aaron laughed. "What is a sixteen year old girl doing running errands for an ex – black ops government agent?"

"I don't have to explain my reasons to you," she spat.

"Then we can't really trust you," Marta said.

"Alright, I owe him, okay?" she blurted out. "He helped me, I'm helping him. He caught wind that the CIA was hot on your tail and he sent me in to not raise any suspicion and to try and get you out. And if we don't go _now_, that plan might fall apart."

"You haven't really given us any good reason to trust you," Aaron told her.

Darcy cried out in frustration. "I helped Marta back there, and I haven't attempted to do anything to you guys. Might I add that _you're_ the one that almost pulled a gun on _me_? You're just going to have to believe me when I tell you I'm here to help-"

She was interrupted by the sound of all too familiar footsteps in the distance.

"Shit," Aaron muttered.

"Well looks like it's time to go," Darcy muttered. "I'd suggest you'd come with me, but that's just _my_ opinion..."

She ran off down the alley, and Aaron and Marta knew better than to stick around. They followed her through the twists and bends of their path until they found light. Finally, an entrance to the streets.

Darcy immediately made a left and began heading down the sidewalk, merging with the crowd of people. Aaron scanned the area, and he no sign of police. Everything seemed to be normal.

Aaron and Marta looked at each other. They still were hesitant over the girl. A promise of safety from an experienced agent, offered to them in such a way? It seemed too strange. But the police were after them, and they had to keep moving. With their guards up, they took a leap of faith and followed behind Darcy.

Once they caught up to her, Aaron grabbed her arm. "Where are we going?"

She tried to pry his hand off, muttering a _let go_ before she answered him.

"A pit stop," she informed him. "I've just got one place to go before we can settle for the night."

"Pit stop?" Marta questioned. "Where are you taking us?"

"The Zhongshan Sports Center Stadium," she said.

Darcy looked back at them with a mischievous grin.

"Anyone up for a game of baseball?"

* * *

**Soooo enter Darcy. I think her dialogue with Marta and especially Aaron is a lot of fun to write :) Did you enjoy this chapter? Let me know how I'm doing by leaving me a review. Thanks! :D**


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